Comic Review: 2000AD PROG 1935- Defining the nature of darkness

Writers and artists: Numerous
Publisher: Revolution
Released: 17th June 2015


It’s been a tough, barren desert of a week for this comic book reviewer, with far too many useless DC Comic books wasting my time, and depressing my brain, so I’m going to finish the week on a high and review a comic book that always has something to offer. It’s not always great, but it’s always good, and after reading far too many childish superhero books that left absolutely no impression whatsoever (Doomed #1) it’s going to be a lot of fun to jump back to the UK and into PROG 1935 of good old 2000AD.

The book begins with Judge Dredd, and if you’ve read any of my previous reviews you’ll know he’s a character that I have always had (it goes back to my childhood) problems with, so I’m always prepared to get through his bit, and onto something that doesn’t annoy me so much. This week he’s playing the role of a cop on a television detective programme, and a conspiracy is afoot. Ho hum.

Next story is ‘Absalom- Under a False Flag’ a title that really whets my appetite. Unfortunately the story itself is really starting to get on my nerves. It’s the dialogue that’s doing me in. it’s so knowing, so ironic, so sarcastic, so deeply, deeply irritating. Three pages in and there’s smart-ass jokes about veganism, Amy Winehouse, a UK paedophile investigation, the Kray twins and racism in old John Wayne movies.

Enough, please, stop it. You’re killing the story with all of these endless bloody references. I can’t concentrate on what is going on, it’s like listening to the most annoying man in the pub, drunk, and on full volume telling the pub about how knowledgeable and witty he is. I don’t even care about the narrative anymore. I can’t concentrate on it, the dialogue is killing it for me and I’m finding it impossible to enjoy the actual story.

I had to put 2000AD aside for a while after enduring the smart arsery of Absalom, my nerves were in shreds, and I needed a strong cup of tea and a walk around the garden just to calm myself down and get into a calm frame of mind again. Thankfully when I returned I had the pleasure of once again diving into Pat Mills’ Slaine, a beautifully drawn strip, with dialogue that doesn’t have to rely on teenage showing off, because it actually has something to say. This week starts dark, with gloriously disgusting artwork, by the super talented Simon Davis, portraying the eaters of flesh, the feeders on pain, the tormentors of humanity. Without spoiling it, there’s a powerful message here, about those who would serve evil in the name of bringing peace. It’s brilliant, just like it always is.

Any story that can follow Slaine and not seem like an utterly underwhelming experience has to be good. ‘Outlier- Dark Symmetries’ is not going to wow anybody, but it has it’s own quiet self-confidence, and a pace to the story telling that I like. It’s character based, and the dialogue and art are very good. I’m not 100% sure about it yet, but it intrigues me, and that’s a good start, especially for something that had to follow the out of this world awesomeness that is Slaine.

Concluding 2000AD this week is ‘Helium- Part 2.’ It has a great start, a really enjoyable exchange between two characters that then leads to a further exploration of the narrative. That’s good writing by Ian Edginton, and I want to single it out for praise in this review. From this promising start a very clear picture of what is happening is then succinctly (but not rushed) laid out for the reader, with the narrative concluding on splendid moment of revelation that really has me looking forward to next week’s instalment.

Looking back at PROG 1935 of 2000AD I make that three stories out of five that I enjoyed. That’s pretty good for me, especially when you bear in mind that I’m a notoriously schizophrenic reviewer, and that I would probably dislike Judge Dredd no matter how good it is, just because it has Judge Dredd as a hero in it. I’ve been careful not to spoil Slaine, because it really has to be experienced for yourself and no matter how much I rave about it, I won't be able to do it full justice here in these reviews.

Get 2000AD this week (as usual) for Slaine, but it’s not just about him, there’s plenty more enjoyment to be had, and I’m going to say this just to spite myself. You’ll probably enjoy Judge Dredd and the very loud, annoying and obnoxiously knowing Absalom as well.



Rating: 9/10 (Slaine really is something else this week, gnawing through to the marrow of truth, it exposes the reasoning behind an individual’s willingness to serve a system of human enslavement.)